I'm travelling with an unlocked mobile phone that has a European Sim card for the first time this year and can't quite figure out the Italian phone numbers I will need to call. Some of them are 9 digits long but most of them are 10 digits long. I thought maybe that means I should drop the first digit but some start with a 3 and some start with a 0. Since I will be only calling Italian numbers while in Italy, I know I will need to drop the country code. Is the first digit on the 10 digit phone numbers actually an area code? If so, then Rome, Venice, Florence, Mantua & Bergamo all start with a 3. Does anyone know how I should dial these?
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, Ca, US
144 posts
Thanks, Steve. So even if the phone number has only 9 digits and starts with a zero, I should still drop the zero? Have you used a cell phone in Italy? It's wierd that the numbers are so different in length. I called customer service today and they said I must dial the area code first for this particular SIM card but I don't know the area codes unless they are already part of the phone number. Does anyone know the answer to this? How long are Italian area codes?
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
Katherine---Italian phone numbers can vary in length, but most are 9 or 10 digits.
Land lines start with a zero (look in Rick's book and you'll see all the hotel, etc. numbers start with a zero. The next number is for the area---like a 5 for Tuscany (058 for Lucca, 055 for Florence, etc.). Do not drop the zero when you call.
Cell phone numbers start with a "3".
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
Also---do you know what country the SIM card is from? Is it Italy? If not, you may need to dial something extra (before the actual number), as you would be dialing from "outside" Italy.
Posted by
Bainbridge Island
3287 posts
So how do you know when to drop the initial zero when calling a number in Europe?
(Steve---please don't answer with another one of your irrelevant links. I'm looking for a real answer).
Posted by
Seattle, WA
17440 posts
Sasha---there is a good explanation in the back of Rick's books under "let's talk telephones". Generally, you drop the initial zero from an area code when calling a number from outside the country. But Italy doesn't use area codes---the initial zero has a different significance (explained above---it indicates a land line phone).
Posted by
OP
Sacramento, Ca, US
144 posts
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input. I got some responses from my contacts in Italy as well and this is what I found out from them and customer service. Drop the 0 before dialing a number starting with a zero when calling a number in Italy while in Italy. Yes, my SIM is from England so it's country code 44. I have to dial 1, and a pin number before every call plus Italy's country code of 39 and also a plus sign before dialing the phone number. I think I've got it all figured out now. Thanks! FYI: The sim card is a free gift from Rail Europe when buying a railpass. It has $25.00 on it and that's plenty for me, I only want to call various apartments where I'm staying to tell them to meet me when we arrrive.